Sentinel was an early 1980's strategy game that became a
classic, although I've never seen it or had an opportunity to
play it, I'll take Psygnosis' word. The original had a sparse
surreal environment and this new sequel uses modern
technology to bring the idea and theme of its predecessor
alive. It creates a haunting and freakish world with good use of
Glide. The 3D graphics allow for a much more eerie theme and
immerse the gamer in levels that seem to fall out of a
Dali-esque environment.

The Game is based on a basic idea. It's called "King of the
Hill." The Sentinel's on top of the hill and you aren't. And of
course that's where the Sentinel wants you, at the bottom. You
use boulders and trees to place your robots around the board
so you can work your way up to the top. Energy is crucial in the
game for building your units, so you'll be required to "absorb"
your units and objects on the playing field to continue building.

Graphics 14/20

It's got decent 3D Glide support. Nothing REAL spectacular but
it's decent. The skies are real creepy looking supposedly based
on the four elements, fire, water, air, and earth. The intro is
done in Glide and it looks pretty wild. The graphics aren't
rendered as good as many of the 3D style games out right now,
but they're still not terrible. I liked how the lighting followed
the mouse cursor and the environments did create the eerie
atomsphere to set the game. The software rendering could
have been much better.

Sound 12/15

Well the music must be CD Audio. It says it's done by John
Carpenter who did the soundtracks to movies such as
Halloween, but unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to hear the
CD-Audio. The in game sound effects are good, but there's not
a whole lot of them. If the music's as good as I think it is, it
should greatly enhance the mood of the game.

Gameplay 23/30

This game is NOT easy. It took me most of an afternoon just to
figure out how to play the game. Once I grasped the concept,
the game was still challenging. The AI is pretty good, you don't
get a lot of time to plot where you want to move next. The
mouse sensitivity, by default, was way too slow for my tastes,
so you'll probably want to crank it up so you can whip around
faster before you get absorbed. It takes skill and some quick
wits too.

Fun Factor 14/20

It's somewhat complicated, takes practice to even get used to
it, and it's semi-repetitive. It's probably not a good choice for
the average gamer, since it requires a bit of quick wit and
mouse skill. You need to be quick, manage your resources, and
make your way up the hill. Trust me, it's a bit harder than it
sounds.

Multiplayer 3/5

Can't say a whole lot other than it's weird. It supports up to 4
players and the goal is to make it up the hill first and take out
the sentinel. It's somewhat laggy on a modem as well.

Overall Impression 8/10

The game is very unique. You're not going to find anything like
it around. It's different. It's fresh. It's probably worth a try IF
you've got time to figure out how it works. If you don't, don't
bother. The atmosphere is cool and the challenge is there. It's
not spectacular and the graphics aren't superb, but it has its
own character.